Somewhere
by Anorak Myth
Summary: Kiba learns that an older sister may have survived the fire. He becomes determined to find the truth. But some secrets were never meant to be unearthed. Eventual Kiba/Hige, title subject to change UPDATED Ch 3 up
1. The Lost One

Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain and am not making any profit from this writing.

I promise this is not a Mary Sue fic. I can't tell you much without ruining the story, but I swear that Kaiya (Kiba's missing sister) will NOT be getting together with Tsume or anything like that. So please don't let Kaiya detour you from this story – don't worry, she won't cramp anyone's style. :)

This is basically a continuation of my one-shot _Fire._ You probably don't need to read _Fire_ to understand this story, but I do recommend you take a look at it if you have time. If nothing else, it will explain Kiba's intense guilt, which is basically the foundation of this story._  
_

Warnings: eventual shounen-ai/yaoi (Kiba/Hige), some OCs, mild violence and brutality, un-betaed

I'm working on _Moments,_ I swear. Now, on with the story...

"I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on trying, until my dying day. I just need to know, whatever has happened. The truth will free my soul." - _Somewhere_ by Within Temptation

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The leaves were just beginning to fall. It was a lovely scene, but it was shadowed by the recent events. No one could forget the massacre that had occurred just a few short miles away, least of all the tiny puppy that had been the only survivor.

To him, the autumn was only a reminder of what he had lost. A few weeks ago, he had been playing with his most beloved brother, with hardly a care in the world. He never imagined that something like this could happen. He never imagined that Misa would die just like the leaves, the same brown as her coat. He certainly had not considered that lovely Ayame, with her luscious red coat, would fall, rotting into the earth beneath the leaves.

The leaves were a myriad of beautiful colors. Just like his pack had been, before everything had vanished. His whole life had disappeared in a matter of hours, burnt to a crisp.

He desperately missed his littermates, Shouta especially. He had never once thought that anything could ever happen to them. He had known, intellectually, that it was almost impossible for all of them to survive to adulthood, but he had never truly believed that. He had always assumed that they would be alright, that he and his littermates were the exception. Their mortality had never sunk in.

Perhaps, if it had, they would still be alive. He might have stayed at the den, like he was supposed to. Then Kaiya would not have needed to search, and the pack would not have waited so long to flee. They might have lived.

It was one stupid decision that killed them all.

* * *

Kiba's yellow eyes shot open. Something had woken him. He didn't mind, his dreams of the past had been anything but pleasant. Nonetheless, the disturbance demanded his attention.

He scanned his dark surroundings without lifting his head. His pack was still asleep. They all seemed peaceful, so no one had woken him with a nightmare. No, he concluded, his pack was not the source of the disturbance.

He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, his hackles rising in alarm. He smelled something strange. It took him a moment to place the scent. His senses were quickly coming back to him, his survival instincts kicking into full gear, but he was still a bit disoriented from sleep.

It was gunpowder. He had been woken by a gunshot.

Shit, was all he could think. He extracted himself from Hige, the stocky wolf uttering a whine of protest in his sleep. He nudged him gently. Of his three packmates, Hige was always the most vocal in his complaints, so he really didn't want to startle him. The last thing he needed was for him to wake up loudly and attract attention from the hunter, or hunters.

"Hige," he growled low in his throat, when the other wolf showed no sign of awakening. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he looked up at Kiba blearily. He opened his mouth to say something, but the white wolf beat him to it.

"Shhh," he whispered, "Wake up Toboe, we need to move."

Hige looked confused, still too tired to fully understand, but he didn't question him. He turned, leaned forward, and nipped at the puppy. Kiba fought the urge to groan, did he not understand the concept of quiet?

Toboe woke with a squeak of surprise as Kiba went to Tsume.

"Tsume."

The grey wolf was a lighter sleeper than the others, and he shifted, his ears flicking towards Kiba. He had heard him.

"Get up. We have company," Kiba said coldly, looking over his shoulder as another shot rang out. Tsume was on his feet within seconds, snarling in the direction of the gunfire.

They could hear voices. They were distinctly male, and one was laughing. They sounded much too close for Kiba's comfort. He wanted nothing to do with these men, who would laugh at the prospect of taking life.

Whether they had come to hunt wolves or a common forest creature did not matter. Kiba did not trust the motives of such men. One look at Tsume's amber eyes, smoldering with rage, told him that he was right not to trust them. The grey wolf was much more experienced with humans than he was.

"Hunters," Hige murmured, sniffing the air, "With dogs. They must be setting up camp, smells like fire."

"What?" Kiba hissed. The stocky wolf tilted his head.

"It's just a campfire. What, you scared?" he teased lightly. He figured he must have hit a nerve though, when Kiba snarled at him.

"I'm not _scared_."

"Right." Inwardly, he rolled his eyes. So damn touchy.

"Would you two shut up," Tsume growled. Kiba glowered at him.

"Do you want to check it out or what?" the grey wolf demanded.

"Fine."

The wolves shifted into their human illusions. Kiba preferred his natural form, but even he couldn't deny that the human form was more convenient for stalking in these surroundings – his snow-white coat made hiding in the dense forest nearly impossible.

The dark-haired boy moved silently through the trees, letting the others decide whether to follow or not. They did, though Toboe looked a bit reluctant. The puppy hovered close to Tsume and tried hard to be as quiet as his packmates.

The humans weren't far away. Kiba tried to hide his frustration - how could he have been so _stupid_? He had only closed his eyes for a moment, he hadn't meant to fall so completely asleep. Would he even have noticed the humans if they hadn't fired that gun? It had been a mistake to let his guard down.

"_Never, ever let your guard down," Sakura whispered in his ear, "It may be the last thing you do."_

He barely suppressed a shudder. He should have known, he was getting too complacent. These wolves were no more trustworthy than Sakura…save for perhaps Hige. But Hige was a city wolf – he had no survival skills out here in the wilderness. If anything, the stocky wolf should be protected, not depended upon.

He pushed such thoughts aside as the humans came into view. He stood partially concealed behind a tree – only his eyes and his dark head of hair were visible to the humans. If they were smart enough to look. The others stayed farther back, waiting for his signal.

But curiosity made him pause – the humans were talking.

"Yeah, Lady Jagara killed a whole pack of 'em awhile back with a forest fire," the man was saying.

"Tsume," Toboe whispered, "What are they talking about?"

The grey wolf didn't answer, but held up a hand for silence. He immediately quieted.

"You should've seen them," the man continued, "Big, awful beasts with massive teeth. They had a litter of pups too. They tried to carry 'em out."

They all flinched with the realization – the man was talking about hunting _wolves_.

"A big red one almost made it out. We shot him twice."

Tsume clenched his fists. Kiba looked strangely pale.

"He fell, but he didn't die. It takes more than that to kill a wolf."

The boys leaned forward, fascinated by their father's story. Kiba felt sick.

"He had this brown pup with him, and Lady Jagara wanted the puppies alive, you see. So we thought we'd put him out of his misery and take the puppy. But it was the strangest thing – he took one look at us, and he snapped that puppy's neck."

"But why would he do something like that?" the younger of the boys asked.

"'Cause wolves are vicious," the older pointed out vehemently, "He probably turned on him."

"No," the man said, shaking his head in a manner that seemed almost regretful, "Lady Jagara would have tortured that puppy. And I think he knew that."

He paused, with a sigh, before going on.

"One of the guys was furious. He went over there and stabbed him to death," he grimaced, and finished softly, "You don't forget something like that."

Tsume and even Hige were ready to fight – he should die for his crimes. Only Toboe noticed Kiba's reaction. He was staring at the man blankly, his face drawn and pale. He suddenly turned and walked away.

"Huh? Kiba, where –" Hige stopped midsentence. Kiba had ducked behind a tree, so he couldn't really see what he was doing. But he could see that he was bent over, and he heard the _splat_ of liquid. He went to his side immediately – and sure enough, the white wolf was vomiting.

"Oh, Kiba," he murmured. He must have been really disturbed by the man's story. He didn't know if the other wolf wanted to be touched, but he lightly rubbed his back anyway.

His vomiting slowly eased into dry heaves. He finally stopped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Hige looked at him critically.

"Maybe we should leave," he suggested, all thoughts of vengeance forgotten.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Tsume demanded. Hige glared at him.

"He just threw up," he hissed, "I don't think he's in any condition to be fighting."

The man spoke again, and the wolves fell silent.

"I saw a white wolf leave the forest. It was small, you could tell it was a female. She had a little grey pup in her mouth."

Kiba choked.

"We were supposed to shoot any adult wolves…but I couldn't do it. She looked over at me when I picked up the gun, and she just stared. Like she didn't even care."

"So what happened to her?" one of the boys asked. None of the wolves particularly cared which one it had been.

"I don't know. I let her go."

Kiba grabbed Hige's wrist.

"Don't kill them," he whispered. Hige looked at him incredulously.

"I…I want to know something. Stay here."

"Like _Hell_ we will," Tsume snarled. Kiba shot him a pleading look, and it was so out of character that he shut his mouth, shocked. Kiba was gone in the next instant.

A pure white wolf landed in front of the hunters. The kids gasped, stepping back. The man just stared at him.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" he said softly, "You're from that pack."

"You said you saw another white wolf," Kiba whispered, "Where is she now?"

"I'm sorry," the man whispered, dropping to his knees, "I'm sorry."

Kiba snarled.

"Answer me, or I'll tear your sons apart."

The man stared, seemingly uncomprehending. Kiba tilted his head.

"Do you think I won't? After what your kind did to my pack?"

He took a step forward. The older boy raised his gun, stepping in front of the younger protectively.

"One step closer, and I'll shoot!" he threatened. But he was shaking in his boots.

"How sweet," Kiba whispered, "I remember that feeling. You would do _anything_ for your brother, right?"

The boy's trembling increased tenfold. Even the wolves shuddered at his tone.

"Do you know what I said to my brother, just before he burned?"

The boy shook his head.

"'I hope you _die_,'" his tone darkened further, an awful sneer in his voice, "Well. Careful what you wish for."

He turned back to the man.

"I'm not kidding, old man. I'll kill them both," as if to prove his point, he lunged at the older boy. He knocked him down, taking the gun in his teeth. The boy yelled out in fear.

"Dad!"

"Wait!" the man cried. Kiba froze.

"The girl…she was heading East, I'm sure of it. But there were airships and other soldiers, she might not have made it out. Your…your best bet is to look at the Noble's eastern forts for her. If she was captured, they might have taken her there."

Kiba moved off of the boy, releasing the gun. The child trembled violently as Kiba turned away, looking at the man again.

"…Thank you," he said quietly.

He bounded off, disappearing into the trees like a ghost. He easily jumped over a low-hanging branch and landed next to Hige on human feet.

"Kiba?" the stocky wolf asked slowly, "You okay?"

Kiba stared at him, frowning. He shrank back slightly. Kiba's anger a few moments ago had been terrifying.

But Kiba's frown turned into a grimace, and he could tell that his rage had passed, so he reached out to take his hand quietly. He could feel him trembling violently.

"We're done here," Tsume decided for them, "The runt's still tired."

"No, I'm – mmpf!" Tsume covered his mouth.

"We'll go find a place."

Hige nodded, knowing Kiba wouldn't respond.

"Hey," he said softly, once they were gone, "Are you feeling alright?"

Kiba shook his head slightly. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt really sick.

"What's wrong?" Besides the obvious.

"Nauseous," he mumbled, "My head hurts."

"Lay down," Hige said gently. It took some coaxing, but Kiba lay half in his lap a few minutes later, leaning against his chest. Hige rested his hand on his stomach, rubbing very gently.

"Does that help?"

"Mm," Kiba tucked his head under his chin, "Feels nice."

Hige smiled a little.

"Go to sleep. We'll catch up with them in a bit."

Kiba looked up at him tiredly, fighting back a yawn.

"You'll feel better once you've slept," he reassured, "Don't worry, I've got you."

He started drifting off, contentedly cuddling into Hige.

"I'm gonna find Kaiya," he murmured drowsily.

Hige was silent for a moment. Then Kiba's breathing evened out as he fell asleep. He kissed the crown of his head softly, and when he spoke, his words were no more than a faint breath against his dark hair.

"I wish you wouldn't, love."

* * *

Sound interesting? Hige's backstory will come into play later. In case it was unclear, Kiba and Hige are _not_ a couple at this time. Notice that Hige waited until Kiba was asleep to kiss him. But, yeah, they're pretty cuddly – they're wolves, not humans. Very social, pack-oriented creatures. …Ok, I'm probably pushing it a little, but c'mon, they're cute! And it's not like they don't all sleep together in canon. –cough- That sounded a little sketchy, but you know what I mean!

Please review! I love constructive criticism. And I would _love_to hear what you think will happen, where you think Kaiya is, etc.


	2. Linger

Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain and am not making any profit from this writing.

Thought I would just post it (yes, I know it's short). Author's note at end.

Chapter Two - Linger

"Your presence still lingers here

And it won't leave me alone."

- _My Immortal_ by Evanescence

* * *

A puppy, white as snow, stands before him. There are flames lapping at her paws, but she doesn't seem to notice.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

She tilts her head sideways, her yellow eyes glowing. As always, she says nothing. He watches, entranced, as the flames travel higher, wrapping around her legs in a dangerous embrace.

"I'm sorry," he repeats, because he doesn't know what else to say. He steps forward. Like a moth to a flame, he is drawn to the burning wolf.

The fire reflects in her eyes, giving them life again. So he moves closer still, until the flames are brushing against his own fur. He feels nothing. In his peripheral vision, he sees the forest blackening around them.

"I'm sorry," he says, one final time. Somehow, he knows those will be his last words. Distantly, he hears crackling. The trees, burdened by the flames, are toppling.

Her expression is unchanging. Her eyes remain locked on his, so he focuses on that. If this is the end, he wants the last thing he sees to be her face, instead of the burning forest. He doesn't want to see his own death coming.

Maybe that's why she's here, he thinks, to take him away. To show him the way to Hell.

He's so focused on her eyes, on the flames dancing there, that he almost misses her response.

"Prove it."

* * *

Kiba was warm and secure, arms around him in a protective hold. He opened his eyes to take in his surroundings, and barely stopped himself from frantically escaping when he realized where he was. It was only Hige, he reminded himself, staring blankly at the faded yellow of his sweatshirt.

It was just Hige, but he still wasn't sure he wanted to be touched. How had he ended up in this position in the first place? He tried to think back to what had happened.

Oh, right. _Kaiya._

His chest tightened at the thought of her. He could see her in his mind's eye, could hear her voice as if he had heard it only yesterday.

"_Kiba, stay with Mother, okay? I'll be right back. I promise."_

He had replayed her last words a thousand times in his head. Enough to realize she had known, or at least suspected, that she would be unable to keep her promise. And he couldn't help but hate her, just a tiny bit, for that.

He shouldn't hate her at all. It was his fault. He had meant what he told Tsume – everyone around him died. Death was always nipping at his heels.

And he really shouldn't let Hige get so close. What if he killed him too? Moon knew (1), he didn't want to see Hige hurt.

He should push him away. Anyone that he ever got close to died or left him (and, really, weren't those one and the same?). It would be better to put distance between them now, before anyone got hurt.

But he could do that later, right? Was it really so horrible to stay where he was, like this? He was so comfortable, and he felt _safe,_ and how incredibly rare was that?

He didn't _want_ to push him away. But he should, he really should.

And just as he was thinking that, Hige stirred. A hand rose to smooth his dark hair, and he was confused again. He remembered whispered warnings, but should he listen?

"_Don't trust them – the city wolves. They're not like us."_

These wolves he was traveling with…his pack…they were all city wolves. But was that really such a bad thing?

"Hey. You awake?" Hige murmured, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah," he breathed. He still didn't move.

"Okay," the other wolf hesitated, "Uh, Tsume and Toboe are gonna start wondering where we are."

Kiba doubted Tsume would care, actually, but he got up anyway. Now that he was awake and in his right mind, he was embarrassed by his actions. He was acting clingy and needy, like a frightened puppy. It was pathetic and shameful, unbecoming of an alpha. He wiped his expression blank of any emotion and offered a hand to Hige, pulling him to his feet.

"So…about your sister," Hige began. Kiba flinched.

Right. Hige wouldn't want to look for Kaiya. He had come along for Paradise, and the search would only delay them all.

He had known Tsume and Toboe would leave, but he hadn't really considered the possibility of Hige leaving. He was alarmed to realize that the thought hurt him. For some inexplicable reason, he had become attached to the stocky wolf.

It would be best to make a clean break. It would hurt, but they would be okay. They would move on. Kiba would find Kaiya and he wouldn't have to be alone again. And Hige would go on without him. He would meet some girl and forget all about Kiba.

"I'm going to find her," he paused, trying to find the words for what he needed to say, "This…this is where we say goodbye."

He winced a little. Even he could hear the tremor in his voice. Hige raised an eyebrow, and he knew he had noticed it.

"Seriously?"

He nodded, staring at a point just beyond his head. If he thought hard, if he focused, he could almost see Yuki there, with her calm dream eyes. So he did, and he met her imagined gaze, because he couldn't look at Hige. If he did, he was afraid he would lose his resolve.

And what would Yuki and everyone else think of that? Kaiya deserved more loyalty than that. It was his fault she had been put in such danger, his fault the rest had perished. He owed it to her to search. If their situations had been reversed, she would have looked for him, he was sure of it.

"I don't think so, buddy," Hige was annoyed, he could tell. It made him snap his attention back to the other wolf, Yuki dropping out of sight as he searched his crimson eyes against his will. Looking for an answer. Why did he care so much?

"If you think we're gonna let you run off on some _wild goose chase_ for your sister who's probably _dead_ by now, you really are nuts."

Kiba just stared at him blankly for a moment.

"We?" he finally managed. Hige frowned, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Alright, I can't really speak for the others, but there's no way in _hell_ that _I'm_ gonna let you go."

His mouth opened and closed, attempting to form words, but no sound came out. He was stunned. No one had ever cared so much, not about him.

No one had ever wanted to stay with him.

"Oh," was all he said. Hige uncrossed his arms and suddenly smiled warmly.

Why was he smiling at him like that? Was he that happy that he hadn't protested? And why did it feel like his heart just skipped a beat?

Hige suddenly dropped his human illusion, speeding away.

"Race you!" he called over his shoulder. Kiba blinked, staring after him. He glanced back at the spot in the woods where he had imagined Yuki. For a moment, he saw a girl standing there. She had long dark hair and blue eyes, just like his own (2). She smiled, eyes dancing – and then she was gone. As if she had never been there at all. As if none of them had ever existed.

"_Race you!"_ her voice echoed Hige's.

How strange. In life, she had been ignored. Only in death had he really heard her. He answered the call, and he wasn't sure what he was racing against – the thundering feet ahead, or the ghostly echo of footsteps next to him.

* * *

(1) Get it? Instead of "Heaven knew," it's "Moon knew," 'cause they're wolves…okay, maybe that sounded better in my head.

(2) In case it was unclear, Kiba is picturing Yuki's human illusion. This will come into play later…maybe. I don't know yet.

So, I'm really sorry it took so long (what, 9 months?) to post this. It's been…just, a very long year. I won't bore you with my saga, but suffice to say, yes, I'm back, and I do intend to finish this story. The next chapter is like half-finished. Review if you want me to post it. 3


	3. What Lies Ahead

Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain and am not making any profit from this writing.

Heee~ey! Miss me? Sorry this took so long. I decided I didn't like my first draft of this chapter, so I just scrapped it.

* * *

Chapter Three – What Lies Ahead

"I hope there is a way

To give me a sign you're okay."

- _Memories_ by Within Temptation

* * *

"You thought we were leaving!?" Toboe sounded incredulous, "That's crazy, we would never -"

"Hmph. Speak for yourself, runt," Tsume cut him off gruffly. Hige smirked slightly. He knew the grey wolf well enough by now to know that if he wasn't outright denying the claim, it was probably true. He would stick with them, for curiosity's sake if nothing else. It seemed even he wondered what had happened to Kiba's once powerful pack.

Kiba looked between the three of them and his answering smile was soft and shy, but it was definitely there. Blue eyes met crimson, and Hige swore he felt his heart skip a beat. There was something about the dark, endless depths of those eyes. Something about the way they sparked like the sun's rays shimmering upon an otherwise bottomless ocean. As always, he was speechless in the thrall of those dark orbs. So he just grinned to hide his stupor.

The moment was broken (okay, so not really, but it was almost a moment, right? Right, Hige told himself) when the grey wolf cleared his throat. Kiba immediately looked away, embarrassed to have been caught...what, off-guard? It was anyone's guess, it was impossible to see the reasoning behind his actions sometimes. Hige shot the grey wolf a death glare for his transgressions, but as usual, he was unaffected.

"So, um," Toboe broke the tense (at least in Hige's book) silence, "Where are we headed?"

Kiba startled slightly, his gaze flickering to the puppy for a moment. Then he looked beyond them all. Hige followed his gaze, but there was nothing there. He was staring at something only he could see - remembering something, perhaps?

"East," he finally said. There was no question in his tone, which the tawny wolf noted as interesting. (Did he really trust the hunter that much? He understood it was the first direction he would want to check, but shouldn't he sound a little more hesitant? A little more worried?) But, well, his odd certainty was something to consider at a later date. For now, Hige was willing to humor him.

Okay, yeah, so he didn't really believe that Kiba's sister was still alive. Yeah, he thought it was a wild goose chase. But he couldn't tell Kiba that. He could understand that he needed closure, and if he could help by playing along for a little while, then that was what he would do. It was Kiba, after all.

He just hoped that he would give up before he found her. He couldn't imagine she was who he remembered, if she was even alive.

_After all these years_, he thought, _would they even recognize each other?_

He couldn't help but feel that this could only end in tears. And yet, even so, how could he deny Kiba this? If you love someone, you would do anything for them, that was what he had been taught. On the flip side, though, weren't you supposed to protect the ones you loved? Where was he supposed to draw the line between indulgence and carelessness?

He wanted to help Kiba find his sister, really. He was so caught up in his past, it was always following him around, the shadows looming over his shoulders. Closure, Hige knew, would help him get past that. Perhaps if he saw Kaiya, he would stop gazing off into the distance, lost in memories.

_No body, not dead,_ he thought bitterly. He knew it must have been difficult for the white wolf to accept that his pack was gone without seeing absolute proof. From what he understood (Kiba hadn't been exactly forthcoming about his past), he had never seen anyone's body, they had all been devoured in the fire.

Hige knew that it was hard for puppies to understand death, even when irrevocable evidence was right in front of their eyes. They often stayed with a body until it grew cold and stiff, unable to accept that their mother or father was gone. They waited for them to wake up. He knew this from experience.

He couldn't imagine how Kiba felt. To have his whole pack ripped from him, gone in a flash of orange and yellow…the thought of it nearly made him shudder. How could he accept that? How could he understand death at that age?

He was staring at Kiba's back as he followed behind him, but all he could see was a puppy, so much younger than Toboe, lonely and scared. He swallowed. Yeah, he could see how Kiba would be pretty screwed up from that. When he thought of it that way, it wasn't so surprising that the white wolf was so distant.

Still…would finding Kaiya really help him? Hige considered himself a perceptive wolf, and somewhat of an expert in Kiba, and he could see clear as day that the damage was already done. He wanted him to be happy, of course he did, but was this really the way?

He was trying to ignore his own feelings, but he couldn't shake the thought that Kiba wouldn't like what he found.

_The truth will hurt._

* * *

"Kiba," Hige finally spoke up, "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but, uh, are you lost?"

He paused, looking over his shoulder at him with a furrowed brow.

"No," he said after a moment. Hige rubbed his neck nervously, he really didn't like challenging Kiba, even about something as seemingly minor as this.

"Well, uh, east is that way," he pointed, and he saw comprehension dawn in those curious blue eyes as he finished, "We're heading north."

"Right…" now _he_ was nervous, if the way his eyes flashed to the ground was any indication, "There's somewhere I…we have to stop first."

He heard Tsume scoff.

"And when were you going to mention this little detour of yours?" Hige shot him a glare, couldn't he see that Kiba was worried enough without him adding to it with his attitude? Sure enough, he was looking down like his sneakers were suddenly fascinating.

"I…it…it's the last place I saw her alive." To his credit, Tsume looked _slightly_ guilty (as guilty as a jerk like him could look, anyway). Not enough for Hige to be satisfied (not nearly enough), but he would let it slide…for now.

"So you want to go home?" he asked, trying to distract Kiba from the grey wolf's (rude!) questioning. He hesitated.

"Something like that," he answered, so softly that Hige almost missed it. He was avoiding meeting his eyes, but that wasn't enough to deter him. To the careful observer, it was impossible to miss the darkness that was settling in those blue eyes.

_Kiba, what are you hiding?_

* * *

Mountains. That was all Hige could see. Mountains, snowy peaks, and plains. Oh, and did he mention mountains?

"So you really did crawl down from a mountain," he heard Tsume mutter. He would've punched him, consequences be damned, but Kiba's lips actually quirked up in what might almost have been a smile.

"This is pretty cool," he said, hoping it didn't sound like a lie. Because, really, mountains. Ugh, soooo not his style. He wasn't really an outdoorsy kind of wolf, he liked the city. When that wasn't possible, he liked to stick to wide-open spaces. Which was not, in any way, what this looked like.

Sure, the plains were huge and expansive, and he wondered if Kiba had spent his younger days racing eagles in the wild fields. But beyond the plains, the mountains they were undeniably heading toward were covered in dense forest. He could tell he wasn't going to like this. But he had promised to follow Kiba, and he had to put his feelings aside.

Which became infinitely easier when the boy was replaced by a white wolf, breaking into a run as if he had just seen his long-lost sister ahead. For a moment, Hige just stared in surprise and admiration. Then he noticed the shadow that was growing ever larger over Kiba's back.

Apparently Toboe noticed it too, because the puppy was suddenly off, tearing after the older wolf with a bubble of laughter. Hige looked over at Tsume, he just looked haughty and mildly exasperated. Finally, he looked up to see what was casting such a large shadow.

And wow, okay. Big bird. Big bird gliding lower and lower. Closer to Kiba. And suddenly Hige was a lot less impressed, and a lot more horrified. What was he, stupid? Even Hige knew how much damage those talons could cause! He didn't even seem concerned! Hell, he was staring up at the damn thing, not even looking where he was running!

Before he realized what was happening, his paws were carrying him forward. The heavy pounding next to him told him that Tsume had had the same thought before the grey wolf passed him.

The bird let out a loud _caw_ as it swooped down, barely missing Kiba's ears. Then, soaring above the two wolves, it circled, calling again. Rather than pausing to look at the bird curiously, the way Toboe did, Kiba _howled._

Not a mournful howl. Not a howl for a hunt. No, this was a howl Hige had never heard from his alpha before. It was almost…joyous. By the time he had deciphered the meaning behind the strange sound, he had almost caught up to Kiba.

_This is it,_ he realized, _this is his home. This is where he belongs. This is _Kiba.

And it was. It was Kiba with his guard down, as close to happy as Hige had ever seen him. Racing through these fields as if he hadn't a care in the world, as if he could spend all day chasing that damn bird.

It was such a strange, but welcome change, that Hige kept his mouth shut and simply raced through the fields alongside the white wolf. Even Tsume seemed to appreciate the blissful moment.

Until they saw the smoke.

* * *

Cliffhanger? :D You know what to do…review!

Oh, and those of you who are reading this for the Kiba/Hige love…I assure you, it's coming. I have such fluff planned…gonna shut up now before I spoil anything. ;)


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